The Knight of the Order who bakes croissants in his therapeutic pastry shop

by Serena Curto

The story of Nicola Di Lena is one of passion and Apulian excellence that has made social commitment the secret ingredient of his success. Di Lena, originally from Ginosa (Taranto), is best known as the pastry chef who for years worked alongside chef Antonio Guida, first at Il Pellicano and later at the Mandarin Oriental in Milan. In the kitchens of Seta he was in charge of desserts and baked goods; yet, among luxury hotels and starred restaurants, all of a sudden something changed in him. “Milan gave me the opportunity to grow from every point of view, but at a certain point I decided to return to Apulia, to change my life while still doing what I love,” he recalls.

It was together with his wife Alessia Semeraro, whom he had met years earlier at Il Pellicano, that he chose to leave behind the glittering success of the city to find a new meaning in their shared passion. That meaning soon arrived thanks to Vito Valente – president of the non-profit association “Includi” – who for years has carried forward the project of the social restaurant XFood, in San Vito dei Normanni (province of Brindisi).

Virgola, a story that continues

It was 2021 when Valente suggested to Nicola the idea of creating, also in San Vito dei Normanni, a therapeutic pastry workshop that would actively involve vulnerable people to promote social inclusion. “The initial idea was a production laboratory for third parties, but I could not imagine a pastry shop behind closed doors. I wanted identity and contact with people.” This is how Virgola was born, a story that continues, a sort of spin-off of the work already initiated by Valente. Today Virgola is a cake shop with a large window overlooking the workshop, where you can see Nicola and Alessia busy with sweet creations, assisted by Giada and Chiara as well as by two special youngsters – Mimmo and Francesca.

“Seeing the happiness in the eyes of the youngsters who work with us fills us with pride, and the same is true for their families. It has been like this also for many other stories we have welcomed: youngsters with disabilities, a woman victim of violence, and two autistic boys who, through the Brindisi-based association ‘Il bene che ti voglio’, used to come to the workshop after school for training.” But there is one thing Nicola is certain of: people should not come to Virgola simply out of solidarity towards the youngsters, but for their skill, which together with that of the whole team, creates true masterpieces of sweetness.

And excellence really is on display: breakfast pastries, croissants and pain au chocolat, pain suisse, doughnuts and danishes, refined single-serve desserts, tiramisù, cream puff towers and cheesecakes, great classics of French pastry such as millefeuille and Saint Honoré. Seasonal specialities are not missing: panettone, colombe, and, in summer, Saturday midnight croissants. Completing the offer is a small outdoor seating area, for leisurely breakfasts with cappuccinos and puff pastries. Delicacies to enjoy on the spot and beyond, since many businesses are supplied daily, such as Burro Café in Ostuni (we mentioned it here).

Knight of the Order and pastry chef

However, this social vocation did not go unnoticed, not even at the Quirinale. Last year Nicola, quite literally with his hands in the dough, missed the first phone call. He answered the second and discovered that President Sergio Mattarella had conferred upon him the honour of Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, together with 29 other compatriots, for having transformed a pastry workshop into a model of ethical and social entrepreneurship. “These are things you do not expect,” he says, “but they make you understand that sacrifice and love are always rewarded. This recognition is for us, but above all for the youngsters. They give us more than they receive: every day, with words or small gestures, they remind us of things that in the frenzy we risk forgetting.”

Virgola – via Mesagne, 136 – San Vito dei Normanni (BR); Tel. 350 1357000; Instagram